Method and system for a multi-rate gigabit media independent interface
First Claim
1. A rate adaptive interface configured to interface a MAC media access control (MAC) device of a network device with a PHY physical layer (PHY) device of the network device, the rate adaptive interface comprising:
- a rate adaptation media independent interface module in communication with a the MAC device implemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions, the rate adaptation media independent interface module configured to;
receive data at a variable rate selected from 10 Mb/s, 100 Mb/s, and 1 Gb/s;
,process the data to a fixed rate of 1 Gb/s;
,output the data at a the fixed rate of 1 Gb/s;
an encapsulation/recovery module configured to receive the data at a rate of 1 Gb/s from the rate adaptation module, and encapsulate the data at a rate of 1 Gb/s to generated data at a rate of 10 Gb/s;
a multiplexer configured to receive the data at a rate of 10 Gb/s from the encapsulation/recovery module or to received data from a MAC device at a rate of 10 Gb/s and selectively output data at a rate of 10 Gb/s responsive to a mode selection control signal;
a mode selection module configured to control the multiplexer based on control input from a higher layer device;
andwherein the media independent interface module includes an ordered set generation and detection module in communication with the multiplexer and the mode selection moduleimplemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions, the ordered set generation and detection module configured to detect ordered sets which, wherein the ordered sets (i) announce aoperational mode change wherein the ordered set generation and detection module is in communication with the mode selection modulechanges to all of XGMII communication and GMII encapsulation, (ii) acknowledge the operational mode changes, and (iii) are communicated in-band from the MAC device to the PHY device and from the PHY device to the MAC device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a UGMII system to interface multirate devices including 10 gigabit per second data exchange rates. Mode selection is enabled to provide for automatic detection and adaptation to any transmit rate including 10M, 100M, 1G, and 10G. Mode selection comprises the negotiation between the UGMII extension sublayers located at the MAC and PHY to select between one of several operational modes including: XGMII communication, GMII encapsulation, Clause 22 MDIO register management and Clause 45 MDIO register management. Selection of UGMII and XGMII operating modes are negotiated between the MAC and PHY using ordered sets to announce and acknowledgement a mode change. In one embodiment 802.3 Clause 46 defined ordered sets are utilized.
102 Citations
60 Claims
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1. A rate adaptive interface configured to interface a MAC media access control (MAC) device of a network device with a PHY physical layer (PHY) device of the network device, the rate adaptive interface comprising:
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a rate adaptation media independent interface module in communication with a the MAC device implemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions, the rate adaptation media independent interface module configured to; receive data at a variable rate selected from 10 Mb/s, 100 Mb/s, and 1 Gb/s;
,process the data to a fixed rate of 1 Gb/s;
,output the data at a the fixed rate of 1 Gb/s; an encapsulation/recovery module configured to receive the data at a rate of 1 Gb/s from the rate adaptation module, and encapsulate the data at a rate of 1 Gb/s to generated data at a rate of 10 Gb/s; a multiplexer configured to receive the data at a rate of 10 Gb/s from the encapsulation/recovery module or to received data from a MAC device at a rate of 10 Gb/s and selectively output data at a rate of 10 Gb/s responsive to a mode selection control signal; a mode selection module configured to control the multiplexer based on control input from a higher layer device;
andwherein the media independent interface module includes an ordered set generation and detection module in communication with the multiplexer and the mode selection moduleimplemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions, the ordered set generation and detection module configured to detect ordered sets which, wherein the ordered sets (i) announce aoperational mode change wherein the ordered set generation and detection module is in communication with the mode selection modulechanges to all of XGMII communication and GMII encapsulation, (ii) acknowledge the operational mode changes, and (iii) are communicated in-band from the MAC device to the PHY device and from the PHY device to the MAC device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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5. A rate adaptive interface for use in a network device, the interface comprising:
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A MACa media access control (MAC) device configured to output data from a first port at a variable first rate and from a second port at a second rate; a rate adaptation media independent interface module, implemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions, and configured received to (i) receive data from the MAC device at the variable first rate and (ii) convert the data at the variable first rate to data at the a second rate; an encapsulation module configured to receive data at the second rate from the rate adaptation module and convert the data at the second rate to data at a third rate; a switch configured to interface with the encapsulation module and the MAC device to receive data at a rate of 10 Gb/s from either the encapsulation module or from the second port of the MAC device and output data at a rate of 10 Gb/s, the switch controlled by a mode selection control signal; a mode selection module configured to provide the mode selection control signal to the switch to thereby control operation of the switch and an ordered set generation and detection module, implemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions, and configured to detect ordered sets, wherein the ordered sets (i) determine operational mode changes to all of XGMII communication and GMII encapsulation, (ii) acknowledge the operational mode changes, and (iii) are communicated in-band from the MAC device to a physical layer (PHY) device and from the PHY device to the MAC device. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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14. A method for interfacing a multirate MAC media access control (MAC) device in a network communication device with a PHY physical layer (PHY) device in a the network communication device, the method comprising:
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outputting unprocessed data from the multirate MAC device at a variable rate to a rate adaptation media independent interface module or at a first fixed rate to a multiplexer, the media independent interface module implemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions; processing the data at the rate adaptation media independent interface module to upconvert the data at a variable rate to data at a second first fixed rate; processing the data at the second fixed rate with an encapsulation module to generate processed data at the first fixed rate; receiving, at a multiplexer, the unprocessed data from the MAC device at the first fixed rate or the processed data at the first fixed rate; receiving, at the multiplexer, a mode selection signal and responsive to the mode selection signal, outputting from the multiplexer the unprocessed data at the first rate or the processed data at the first rate detecting, with an ordered set generation and detection module of the media independent interface module, ordered sets, wherein the ordered sets (i) determine operational mode change to all of XGMII communication and GMII encapsulation, (ii) acknowledge the operational mode changes, and (iii) are communicated in-band from the multirate MAC device to the PHY device and from the PHY device to the multirate MAC device. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A rate adaptive interface for use in a network device, the interface comprising:
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a media access control (MAC) device of the network device configured to select an operational mode from XGMII communication and GMII encapsulation; wherein the MAC device comprises an ordered set generation and detection module, implemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions, that generates a first ordered set which announces an operational mode change to the selected operational mode and communicates the first ordered set in-band to a physical layer (PHY) device of the network device; wherein the MAC device changes to the selected operational mode in response to receipt of a second ordered set which acknowledges the first ordered set and is communicated in-band from the PHY device. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. A rate adaptive interface for use in a network device, the interface comprising:
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a physical layer (PHY) device configured to change operational modes; wherein the PHY device comprises an ordered set generation and detection module, implemented in one or both of circuitry or a processor executing machine readable instructions, that detects a first ordered set which i) announces an operational mode change to an operational mode selected from XGMII communication and GMII encapsulation, and ii) is communicated to the PHY device in-band from a media access control (MAC) device of the network device, generates a second ordered set which acknowledges the operational mode change, communicates the second ordered set in-band to the MAC device, and changes to the operational mode. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60)
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Specification